3 syllables: ob, li, gate. Stress on ob.
AH-bluh-gayt
/ˈɑbləˌɡeɪt/
obligate is pronounced AH-bluh-gayt (/ˈɑbləˌɡeɪt/). It has three syllables (ob-li-gate), with the stress on "ob". Obligate is a verb meaning to require or compel something by law, policy, or obligation; it can also function as an adjective in biological contexts (obligate parasite) to describe that something must occur or be true in a specific circumstance. The term carries formal, technical connotations and appears in legal, scientific, and formal writing. It implies necessity or duty rather than mere permission or suggestion.
Obligate is a verb meaning to require or compel something by law, policy, or obligation; it can also function as an adjective in biological contexts (obligate parasite) to describe that something must occur or be true in a specific circumstance. The term carries formal, technical connotations and appears in legal, scientific, and formal writing. It implies necessity or duty rather than mere permission or suggestion.
- You might over-suppress the /l/ sound, turning oBLigate into a smoother /ˈɒbɪɡeɪt/; keep the light, voiced /l/ between /ɪ/ and /ɡ/ to preserve the syllable boundary. - Commonly you may misplace stress as oBLIgate or oblIgate; practice with rhythm taps to reinforce OB-LI-gate. - The final /eɪt/ can be shortened or rushed; aim for a clean, long /eɪt/ with a firm /t/ release, not a soft /ət/.
"The contract obligates the company to disclose any conflicts of interest."
"In biology, an obligate parasite cannot complete its life cycle without a host."
"Federal regulations obligate schools to provide equal access to education."
US/UK pronunciation centers on the three-syllable form /ˈɒb.lɪ.ɡeɪt/ (American /ˈɑː.bə.ɡeɪt/ is also possible in some dialects). The primary stress is on the first syllable: o-BLI-gate. The final syllable is a long /eɪt/ like “gate.” Start with an open back vowel in the first syllable, then a short /ɪ/ in the second, and finish with /ɡeɪt/. Mouth position: reach for a light, quick /b/ after the initial vowel, then glide into /l/ and end with /dʒ/ or /ɡ/ via /ɡeɪt/. Audio references: consult Cambridge or Oxford online dictionaries for pronunciation samples.
Two common errors: (1) Misplacing the stress, sounding like o-BIL-gate or o-bli-GATE; ensure primary stress on the first syllable: OB-li-gate. (2) Misproducing the middle consonant cluster: one might shorten /lə/ or mispronounce /ɡ/ as /dʒ/; aim for a clean /lɪ/ before the /ɡeɪt/ and keep /ɡ/ as a hard stop. Correct by isolating middle segments in practice: /ˈɒ-bɪ-/ followed by /ɡeɪt/ and maintaining clear syllable separation.
In US English, /ˈɑː.bə.ɡeɪt/ or /ˈɒb.lɪ.geɪt/ with a rhotic r and possibly a reduced second vowel. UK English tends toward /ˈɒb.lɪ.ɡeɪt/ with non-rhoticity and clearer /ɡ/ before /eɪt/. Australian English often features a broader /ɒ/ or /ɒː/ in the first syllable and non-rhoticity; vowels in the second and third syllables may be slightly lighter. Across all, the final syllable remains /eɪt/; main differences are vowel quality and rhoticity. IPA variants: US /ˈɑːb.lɪˌɡeɪt/; UK /ˈɒb.lɪ.ɡeɪt/; AU /ˈɒb.lɪ.ɡeɪt/.
Three main challenges: (1) Stress placement on the first syllable with a long initial vowel can trip you up if you’re not conserving breath, (2) The /lɪ/ sequence after the initial vowel can blur if you’re not keeping the /l/ light and the following /ɡ/ distinct, (3) The final /eɪt/ merge can feel like a glide into a long vowel; keep it as a crisp /eɪt/ rather than a diphthongization of /eɪ/ into /ɪ/. Focus on the three-part rhythm: OB- (stressed) -li- -gate.
No silent letters in obligate. Every letter contributes to the pronunciation: the first syllable carries primary stress on the o-; the middle syllable uses an /l/ and a short /ɪ/; the final syllable contains the /ɡ/ and the /eɪt/ head, not a silent letter. Ensure you articulate /ɡ/ clearly before /eɪt/ and avoid swallowing the /l/.
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US: rhotic + stronger /ɚ/ in some speakers may alter the middle vowel; UK: non-rhotic, crisper final /t/ and /eɪ/; AU: broader vowel in first syllable and non-rhotic; IPA notes: US /ˈɒ.bə.ɡeɪt/ or /ˈɑː.bɪ.ɡeɪt/; UK /ˈɒb.lɪ.ɡeɪt/; AU /ˈɒb.lɪ.ɡeɪt/. - Vowel quality: aim for /ɒ/ in first, /ɪ/ in second, /eɪ/ in third. - Consonants: ensure /l/ is light and the /g/ is hard before /eɪt/.
Obligate derives from Latin obligatus, the past participle of obligare, meaning to bind or pledge. Obligare itself is composed of ob- (toward, against) and ligare (to bind). The word entered English via Old French obliger and medieval Latin, consolidating in Middle English around the 15th century in legal and religious contexts. Its semantic development tracks shifts from “to bind by oath or duty” to broader senses of necessity and requirement in law, biology, and social policy. The form obligate first appeared in English in the 17th-18th centuries as a verb meaning to impose a duty or bind someone to a course of action; its adjective sense, “obligate to” in certain contexts like organisms, followed later with scientific usage. Over time, the word has retained its formal register, maintaining a precise sense of duty, necessity, or binding obligation. First known uses often appear in legal documents and treatises, with later expansions into scientific literature as disciplines formalized terms for obligatory relationships and ecological imperatives.
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Words that rhyme with "obligate"
-ate sounds
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